A+U 548: BIG + SMALL

From the Publisher. The May 2016 issue of a+u is a special issue dedicated to recent works by BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group.

The team is engaged with projects both large and small in locations all over the world. The issue reflects that diversity, with the first half devoted to the large, urban-scale works for which the practice is best known, and the second half devoted to smaller works, including residences and a pavilion. Including those nearing completion, 20 of the 22 projects introduced here are currently underway. Over the next few years, we will see many more of their works finished.

Leading off the issue is an interview of Bjarke Ingels by Jeffrey Inaba. The office's projects are characterized by conceptual clarity and surprisingly playful forms. From the interview, we see how these characteristics are the answer to the basic architectural themes of form, function, site, circulation, direction, light, air, and materials. At various scales, from small to large, their work is based on a detailed engagement with spatial experience and structure, architectural materials and the surrounding context, and broader issues in society – an ongoing challenge unfettered by conventional ideas.